Avatar: Rebirth

Chapter 11: Of Flesh and Blood

And a good night's rest I got. No one disturbed me at all, and I was able to sleep well into the morning. When I woke up, the area around me was deserted save Yi and a warm breakfast. I immediately ate the food in front of me, savoring the hearty flavor. "I wonder where those two ran off too," I muttered to myself between mouthfuls of my breakfast.

Upon finishing, I stood up, stretching, and wandered outside for a breath of fresh air. The snowstorm had died down, leaving me with a clear view of the snowy landscape. Raava and Wan were standing at the edge of the icy forest, conversing with each other, presumably catching up with all the lost time. I didn't want to interrupt them, so I made my way back into the forest and began cleaning our campsite, making note of any supplies that needed to be restocked. After I had finished, I sat down and stared up at the ceiling of branches above my head, waiting for the return of my companions.

A good amount of time had passed before Raava and Wan walked back in. Raava was the first to see me, greeting me, "Good morning," with a small smile.

Wan looked over and grinned. "Maylin! How long have you been awake?"

"Not very long," I lied. "Just long enough to tidy this place up."

"You could've asked me to help," he said.

"It's okay, Wan," I replied, giving him a small smile. "It's not really a big deal."

"How diligent," he teased. He noticed Raava had sat down and took a seat himself. He looked back at me, smiling brightly.

"What's that big, dumb grin for?" I asked him with a chuckle.

"Oh nothing, May. I'm just having an exceptionally good morning."

"Well, I can see that you're glad to be reunited with your friend. However," I began, my voice taking on a slightly serious tone, "as much as I know you want to spend time catching up, we need to discuss a few things." I shifted in my seat, resting my head on my hand. "First things first. Raava," I called, and she turned to me my gaze. I held up the two rings, their polished white stones shining in the soft light pooling in from the gaps between the trees. "What the heck are these things. I went through a whole lot of trouble to get them, and no one has explained their importance."

"You're name is Maylin, correct?" I nodded. "Alright." She sat in silence for a few moments, lost in thought. I waited for her answer, my expression growing more irritable with each passing second. Finally, she spoke up, "Maylin, it's a little hard to explain at the moment. In time, you shall know their importance."

I glared at her, an audible edge of anger in my voice when I spoke again. "Are you kidding me?" I stood up, huffing, and began arranging blanket behind me to mask my annoyance.

"May," began Wan, "there is no need to get so annoyed over--"

I cut him off. "Alright, fine. I guess I can live without knowing what these are, even though I almost died getting them. But," I said, turning around and pointing to the necklace Wan was wearing, "can you at least tell me what that is? The face stealer said something about bringing back the Avatar. What exactly did he mean by that?"

This time, Raava did not hesitate with her explanation. "I suppose it is important that I explain this to the both of you. That necklace can restore flesh to a wandering spirit. It is the only reason why I can see Wan now." She stared at Wan for a moment. "Though, his body isn't fully formed."

"Oh, why is that?" I asked her.

"I suppose it has something to do with his soul not being entirely human."

"Not entirely human...?" I remembered what Wan said when he first revealed himself as the first Avatar. "That's right, I remember."

"It's a bit problematic," said Raava.